Known collapsible drums exist. Each such drum comprises flange plates associated with a hub made up of hinged elements, each of which comprises two portions having respective ends that face each other and that are connected together, and respective opposite ends that are connected to respective ones of the flange plates via hinge means formed by hinges disposed so that the portions of each of the hinged elements are substantially in alignment and are substantially perpendicular to the flange plates when the drum is in an in-use position, and so that the portions of each of the hinged elements are collapsed so that they extend along a direction that is substantially parallel to the flange plates when the drum is in a storage position, the portions of the hinged elements being provided with respective side surfaces disposed so as to touch one another in radial planes of the hub when the drum is in the in-use position.
That type of drum offers the advantage of having a collapsed position in which it takes up less space than a conventional rigid-hub drum, and an in-use position in which the side surfaces of the portions of the hinged elements bear against one another so that the forces resulting from winding the cable around the hub are regularly distributed over the side surfaces of the hinged elements. However, while the drum is being handled, either on site or while transporting the drum loaded with cables, the impacts to which the flange plates are subjected cause damage to the hinges so that there is a risk that the collapsible drum might quickly become unusable. In particular in the event of a fall, several hinges breaking simultaneously might render the drum unusable immediately.